I have been bumping into this strange word, “woke,” a lot lately. I wondered what it meant. Digging around, I found “woke” means to be alert to racial and social discrimination and injustice. Why is this considered such a bad…
The Russian Orthodox Church is a big loser in the Russian-Ukrainian war
On year later, the Russian–Ukrainian war has not created many winners. Everyone seems to have lost. The Ukrainian people have endured incredible suffering and destruction. Russian Ministry of Defense puts the number of casualties in the Russian army at thousands….
On the path to immigration justice, it’s time for Biden to change course
A key message delivered in President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address just last month emphasized that “it’s our duty to protect all the people’s rights and freedoms.” And yet President Biden’s actions don’t live up to his rhetoric….
If a story is meant to evolve, then so are we
The word “story” is defined as “an account of past events in someone’s life or in the evolution of something.” I think about this a lot when I travel and speak: How does our story evolve, change and become? How…
Angels among us
In my work as a pastor, I find we often fear what we do not know or understand. But when what we fear goes from being an abstract idea to a person with a name, a face and a story…
Let’s stop treating the dignity of women as a secondary issue good Christians can disagree on
While complementarians sacralize the subjugation of women, perhaps the strongest obstacles to change are the priorities of egalitarians. We’ve witnessed the muscle of complementarian men weaponizing the Bible and wielding the gospel to fortify their authority and power in the…
An Anglican in Babylon
“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceedingly joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power both…
Listen to the voices of women
We don’t have to celebrate Women’s History Month. No one forces us. Yet when we do, we may learn and be changed and become more involved. Our goal should be to listen and care. The National Women’s History Alliance designates…
Stranger in the Village: James Baldwin and inclusion
In the summer of 2019, I rode a bus high into the Swiss Alps, a terror ride straight out of Six Flags, to visit the most important site in American race relations that nobody knows about. In 1951, the author…
How can we say thanks? Reflections on the influence of Andrae Crouch
The music of Andraé Crouch was the soundtrack of my life as a teenager and college student in the 1970s. “My Tribute,” “Soon and Very Soon,” “Jesus Is the Answer” and many others were songs I often heard at First…
The SBC: ‘They are who we thought they were’
On October 16, 2006, the Chicago Bears came back to defeat the Arizona Cardinals 24-23. The game was considered the “comeback of the year” because the Bears were trailing by 20 points at halftime. What made the feat even greater…
Blowing the whistle on wedding fouls
“One last thing. If you ever have a choice between performing a wedding or performing funeral, take the funeral.” So said my pastor when I was 15 and announced my goal to follow in his footsteps. He wasn’t joking. At…